The Giant Green Button™ PAS Chain Saver Cutoff Switch For BBS02

For most people using the PAS system on the BBS02 they have had to get used to just barely pulling in the front brake (enough for the motor to disengage) in order to up shift without putting serious strain on their chain and risking breakage. Paul from em3ev is now selling a Giant Green Button™ (thank god it’s not red or I’d HAVE to press it) for $6 that connects to the ebrake sensor and shuts off the PAS while the button is held down to facilitate up-shifting without risking a damaged chain.

I giant ugly addition to anyone’s cluttered handlebars! About the same price as a cup of starbucks.

There is a real need for this in the BBS02 community as it is annoying and awkward to have to slightly pull in the brakes to disengage the motor to shift. Although you can downshift under load (one gear at a time) without busting chains, trying to upshift under load puts your chain at serious risk of breakage.

Kepler from ES built a nice system with an automatic micro-switch for shifting with his singletrack weapon found here which is far nicer than anything I have ever built. For all intensive purposes the Giant Green Button™ will work about as well and be much easier to install. I recommend installing it on the left side so your left thumb can hold it down while your right thumb shifts. I also recommend hooking it up to the front ebrake connector and leaving your back ebrake sensor connected. I always favor the rear brake and anytime I hit the front brake I always hit the back brake as well.

If you use a throttle only system and have removed the grey wire as shown in step 3 here then you really don’t need this button at all.

Is it really that hard to give your ebrake lever a little tap?
I tested the “Gear Sensor”, and for what you pay, it’s quite unsophisticated. It kills the motor any time the shifter cable moves. At least the green button still allows for downshifting under power…

It looks like many of us had install problems with the first release of the GS. That’s all you tested. The final release is a very different product. It works. Please let’s not slam a product based on it’s first try and without qualifying and revealing the circumstances.

It kills me how one dimensional and myopic people can be. They only look at things as to how they affect them personally, not stopping to think there are other ways to use it. Like someone holding a parachute and thinking, “I don’t need it, I don’t fly”. Lots of other things you could do with it. Like hanging it over your bed and hoping Angelina Jolee wants to come try it out. I didn’t need the brake shut-offs when I got my BaFang BBS02 because I also mounted a Rohloff Speed-hub that you can shift without peddling. They were annoying and unnecessary. But after a short time, I realized that being able to disconnect the motor came in handy at times. So I mounted the Giant Green Button. I have been trying to get on and start riding under my own power to conserve the battery. When descending I will hold the button down and sprint downhill until I want/need additional power. The Giant Green Button is a power management device that allows you to instantly cut the power to the motor. Is it hard to “tap” the brake level? No. But then it also cuts out when I just want to slow the bike. It’s like any other tool, you have to have a mind to understand its potential and you have to learn how to use it properly.